The Importance Of Feasting In The Life Of The Church
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers….And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
-Acts 2:42,46-47, ESV
We have previously discussed why we do what we do on Sunday morning and how that must include joyous and boisterous singing. The climax of our covenant renewal worship service is our weekly feast with God, communion, since dining with God is an important aspect of any covenant. Feasting is and has always been central in the life of God’s people, so this post will examine the role of feasting in our churches today.
Feasting in Israel
Since food is central to our lives, it should be unsurprising that it holds prominence in Scripture too—from the very first page! The Cultural Mandate is immediately followed by God telling Adam what he could eat (Genesis 1:29). The Garden of Eden doubtless had lovely flowers and majestic trees, but Scripture emphasizes its fruit, so of course the covenant of creation involved forbidden food: God had commanded mankind to feast on His terms. Since Eden was the first temple, mankind was to feast on the abundance of God’s provision in God’s presence. And God established the Sabbath during Creation, so Sabbath in the Garden would have consisted of rest and feasting. Therefore, the Holy Place of the Tabernacle and later the Temple had Eden-like fruit motifs and the table of showbread. Worship—whether true or false—has always involved food. Unsurprisingly then, wisdom—which begins with the fear of God (Proverbs 9:10)—is personified as a woman preparing a feast for all of God’s people (Proverbs 9:1-6).
In the Fall, Adam and Eve chose not to fear God or answer Wisdom’s invitation to feast on God’s terms but instead chose to sin by feasting on their own terms on the stolen food of Folly (Proverbs 9:13-18). Therefore, an animal had to be killed by God to clothe them, so since the Fall there has been a sacrifical element to feasting represented by the addition of meat to the menu. Therefore, even before the Flood some animals could be consumed while others were forbidden (Genesis 7:2-3). This was later specified in the dietary code of the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11). Jesus came to reverse the Curse of the Fall, so He declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19, Acts 10). Just as the new covenant is more inclusive than the old (eg. baptism vs. circumcision), its blessings are greater, so the categories of clean and unclean animals that had existed before the Flood vanished. “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalms 24:1a), so since God graciously gives us all things in Christ (Romans 8:32), all foods are ours too (1 Corinthians 10:26). Finally, we see the complete reversal of the Fall marked with food: the tree of life yielding a variety of fruit throughout the year that not only sustains but heals the nations (Revelation 22:2). Food is central to the narrative and symbolism throughout Scripture, especially specific feasts.
Just like eating in general, feasts are prominent in nearly every notable event in Scripture. Eden was marked by an abundance of food, so in our desire to return to Eden we celebrate special occasions and honor special people with feasting. Sometimes these feasts are spontaneous, such as Abraham (Genesis 18:1-8) and Lot (Genesis 19:3) preparing feasts for their divine and angelic visitors. Feasting is also common to celebrate non-recurring events such as weddings. But many of the feasts in Scripture were recurring Israelite religious observances. This began with the establishment of the Passover (Exodus 12) and then continued with the rest of the festal calendar (Leviticus 23). The Sabbath itself was considered a weekly feast. Passover was immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commemorating God freeing His people from Egypt. The Feast of Weeks coincided with the wheat harvest and therefore celebrated God’s continuing provision for His people. The Feast of Trumpets was a call to repentance leading up to the opposite of a feast: the solemn fast of the Day of Atonement, since our sin prevents us from feasting with God and must be removed with atoning blood. This was followed by the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths) that commemorated Israel’s time in the wilderness.[1] These feasts were so central to worship that they were one of the first things done in obedience to God by the Israelites upon entering the Promised Land (Joshua 5), at the dedication of the Temple (1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 7), during revivals under Hezekiah and Josiah (2 Chronicles 30, 35), during the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 3, 6), and after rebuilding Jerusalem’s wall (Nehemiah 8). When God’s people were faithful to Him, they feasted.
After the exile, the feast of Purim was added to commemorate how God had saved His people from genocide by their enemy Haman (Esther 9:20ff). During the period between the Old and New Testaments, the Feast of Dedication (Hannukah) was added to commemorate the unlikely victory of the Maccabean Revolt and the cleansing of the Temple following its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes.[2] Together, the feasts recounted the history of Israel and continually reminded people of God’s abundant provision to them despite their sin. Interestingly, apart from the Feast of Dedication, all of the feasts occurred within a 7-month period, creating a cycle of feasting vs. everyday life.
There was another form of feasting in the Law that is often overlooked, and it deals with tithing. People were to give their first and best tenth to God. Normally, this involved transporting their gift to the place where the Tabernacle was, but when distance made that impractical there was a unique method of giving God His due:
And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.
-Deuteronomy 14:24-26, ESV
While the tithe was an obligation to support the priests and Levites in their ministry, notice its other purpose in this text. God explicitly commanded that this money be used for abundant food and drink to be consumed by whole families together with joy before God around the Tabernacle. In other words, it funded a massive party. God commands us to joyfully and lavishly enjoy His provision, not just individually but together as families and communities. That is the purpose of biblical feasting: “Feasts in the Bible are images of joyful voices, festive music and dancing, and abundant food. They are not simply parties, but celebrations of God’s goodness toward his people. Feasts provide occasions of fellowship with one another and with the Lord to remember and to celebrate what wonderful things God has done”.[3] So throughout the Old Testament we see feasting not only central to man’s relationship with God but commanded by Him. And while the coming of Christ changed many things, that is not one of them.
Two Opposing Liturgical Calendars
With the coming of Christ, new events marked God’s provision for His people. Christ’s death and resurrection coincided with Passover, so Christians observe Holy Week between Palm Sunday and Easter. Some churches observe Lent starting forty days prior to this on Ash Wednesday as a period of solemn preparation and often deprivation. Forty days after Easter, Jesus ascended into heaven, so we mark Ascension Day to celebrate the implications of His present rule from His throne. At Pentecost during the Feast of Weeks, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, so it is marked as the birthday of the Church. We have also designated December 25th as Christmas to celebrate Christ’s birth. Leading up to Christmas is Advent that anticipates Christ’s coming. Some churches also observe Epiphany in early January to commemorate the coming of the Wise Men. Together, these observances retell the work of Christ and celebrate His provision for us despite our sin. Reformed churches also celebrate Reformation Day on October 31st commemorating the start of the Protestant Reformation. Finally, local churches often mark their own founding with a feast. Such celebrations provide a wonderful opportunity for teaching our heritage and doctrine. They also remind us of the feast that awaits us in glory when all is restored to an even better state than Eden: the Wedding Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9).
Sadly, many churches have neglected the liturgical calendar and regular feasting This is not a primary cause of America’s theological illiteracy, but certainly contributes to it. The world understands the importance of observing days, weeks, and months, which has resulted in a litany of observances throughout the year involving all aspects of “diversity, equity, and inclusion”. By filling the calendar with them, they create ample opportunities to propagate the religion of “tolerance” and keep their narratives fresh in everyone’s minds. It is not neutral or secular but a religion complete with its own doctrine (critical theory), deities (humans, specifically the “oppressed”), sin (inequity, disparity, and “oppression”), and a plan of salvation (creating equity through vengeance and being “oppressed” or an “ally”). So as I alluded to here, here, here, here, and especially here, critical theory is incompatible with Scripture. And it has a liturgical calendar, including no less than 22 annual religious observances for its most popular sub-religion, what I will call the “alphabet abomination”:
February: LGBT+ History Month, World Day of Social Justice
March: Zero Discrimination Day, Trans Day of Visibility
April: Celebrate Diversity Month, Lesbian Visibility Week and Day
May: Trans+ History Day, International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia
June: LGBT Pride Month, International Day of Countering Hate Speech
July: Omnisex Visibility Day, International Non-Binary Peoples Day
September: Bisexual Visibility Day
October: Global Diversity Awareness Month, International Lesbian Day, International Pronouns Day, Asexual Awareness Week, Intersex Awareness Day
November: Transgender Awareness Month and Week, Intersex Day of Remembrance, Transgender Day of Remembrance
December: Pansexual Pride Day
Notice how each of these observances highlights certain aspects of identity and heritage, with separate days of remembrance and general awareness for each particular group as well as days devoted to furthering their religious cause. The alphabet abomination is a religion that cannot coexist with true Christianity, so Christians have every right (and duty) to refuse to participate in this idolatry just like Daniel and his friends. God builds His Kingdom through families, but the alphabet abomination destroys them just like abortion. Scripture teaches that God created gender distinction as good, necessary, and unchanging, so the Christian has every right (and duty) to refuse to use pronouns contrary to how God created each individual as distinctly male or female or show any support for the grotesque mutilation of God’s image beareres in “gender affirming care”. After all, those who would sinfully compel us to use such pronouns often commit blasphemy by blatantly disregarding God’s preferred pronouns. And it also means Christians have every right (and duty) to refuse to participate in or promote any of the idol feasts that make up the alphabet abomination’s liturgical calendar. But to do that, we need to understand the importance of our own feasts and restore feasting to its rightful place in our lives.
Feasting in the Church
Whether we follow a liturgical calendar or not, feasting should be a normal part of life in the local church. In my church this has taken two main forms. The first is the Sabbath dinner, which is hosted by an elder’s family at their house and occurs either Saturday evening or Sunday after church. The purpose of this meal is joyous fellowship between as many families in the church as the host can support over food and beverages. It includes a short liturgy of prayer; toasts to the men, women, and children; a short catechism; and singing the Doxology. The second is our seven feast occasions at the church throughout the year: Christmas, Epiphany (or Transfiguration), Holy Week, Ascension, Pentecost, Reformation Day, and Thanksgiving. Thus our year progresses by marking key events in Christ’s life followed by the Reformation and ending with our thanksgiving to God and anticipation of Christ’s return. These feasts take place right after the Sunday service and last all afternoon. They include activities and a short liturgy with a homily specific to the occasion. The menu also matches the event, such as lamb for Holy Week, foul for Ascension, and grilled meat for Pentecost—including beef and shrimp to represent how Christ brings Jews and Gentiles together.
These are all festive occasions, but they involve significant cost and labor. It is expensive and time-consuming to procure and prepare food for that many people that frequently—and to plan the menu, liturgy, activities, and logistics; prepare the house for a weekly Sabbath dinner; reconfigure the church for a feast; execute the event; and clean up afterward. Why do we do it? We do it because sola Scriptura is not just about soteriology but all of life—and we have seen that feasting is a major theme and a command throughout Scripture. We do it because fellowship is vital to the life of the church, and feasts are very effective in promoting fellowship. We do it because it is enjoyable, and we all love to eat, drink, and be merry. But most of all we do it because Christ has blessed us—and will bless us—infinitely more than our meager feasts can even begin to reflect. God did not spare His own son but graciously gives us all things (Romans 8:32), so in our feasting we preach sola gratia. Grace is an undeserved free gift that comes at great cost to the giver. God lavishes on us not only salvation but every blessing (Ephesians 1:8), so lavish feasting should be our natural joyous response to God’s amazing grace. It may seem excessive, especially considering how we must be wise with our finances. It would have seemed equally excessive to the Israelites to sell a tenth of their produce and use the proceeds to throw a party. According to the latest Census Bureau statistics, median household income is nearly $75,000, so imagine the party if each family contributed $7,500. How could we think to do that in this economy? We must remember that the agrarian culture of Israel meant they were much more susceptible to food insecurity than we are. So while we must still be wise with our finances, feasting should have a place in our budgets. God is serious about feasting, so we should be too. Thankfully, my denomination is serious about festivity, so while you may not agree with our other distinctives like postmillennialism, paedo-communion, and robust covenant theology, festivity should be a distinctive we can all get behind. So let us feast before God for His glory and our joy as we await the ultimate feast.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
-Isaiah 25:6-9, ESV
